As we mark the 2018 international day International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation we need to accelerate efforts of raising awareness and encourage concrete actions to stop the harmful practice.

Mũkoma wa Ngũgi explores a redefinition of what ‘icon’ means in the African context, the unearthing of names that are all too often forgotten, the invisibility of female icons in our historical narratives, and the nature and role of the diaspora in our cultural, political and economic production

A sellout is someone who betrays his own principles and his followers for personal venality. Where is the evidence that South Africa's Mandela betrayed himself and deceived his countrymen for self-gain?

Nigerian businessman and impresario Paul Okoye organised one of the most impressive showcase of African and Afrobeats talent in the inaugural One Africa Music Fest at the Barclays Center Arena in Brooklyn, New York City.

We all enjoy sex but we don’t really talk about it – one reason that the topic of sextech is so emotionally charged. Artificial intelligence has boldly entered the global (and, more recently, the African) sex market, bringing with it a revolution in robotic sextech designed to provide sexual gratification that is eerily almost human.

The impression that Intimate partner violence (IPV) only occurs in heterosexual relationships where the man is stereotypically the aggressor is a false and dated idea. Lesbian women can, in fact, be perpetrators and victims of this form of violence.

Taking a drug normally prescribed to treat AIDS as a way to shield against the deadly disease; known as PrEP; is catching on, and proponents hope that it will soon have a measurable impact in reducing the number of infections.

The Lives of Great Men a memoir by Frankie Edozien is Nigeria’s first book about LGBTQ Life. Edozien, a lecturer at the New York University captured the lives of gay men on the continent and the challenges they face. Edozien is the first Nigerian to write a nonfiction book on being a gay man.

Despite the work being done to raise awareness in society about sex workers as people worthy of respect, they are often still treated as lepers. Why is it that we only seem capable of an empathetic response once older women enter the ‘world’s oldest profession’? asks Lineo Segoete

African feminist activists should be the reference point from which we hear about girls’ educations across the continent. Three activists from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zambia discuss strategies that they have implemented to promote girls’ and young women’s education in their respective countries.

A sellout is someone who betrays his own principles and his followers for personal venality. Where is the evidence that South Africa's Mandela betrayed himself and deceived his countrymen for self-gain?

The definition of democracy on the continent has been restricted to holding elections. Many African leaders forget that protests and online dissent is very much part of democracy. Elections are just a part of democracy, and democracy entails a full spectrum of economic, social and political freedoms, which include citizens' rights to protest and express their voices and concern.

Funerals honour the life of the deceased. Nigeria’s elaborate and expensive funerals are rooted in history and are not unique to that country. But, says Cosmic Yoruba, the high costs and expectations surrounding these events can place a strain on the wallet and the emotions

Our liberation icons remain important – warts and all. They do not need to fade from our continental consciousness of liberation struggle history, nor from the struggles that are continually faced in contemporary times.

Zimbabweans have been celebrating Robert Mugabe's demise but the new administration could fail to bring change. The opposition and civic groups urgently need to regroup and intensify the fight for reforms in the electoral, media and security sectors to ensure holistic change.

Mũkoma wa Ngũgi explores a redefinition of what ‘icon’ means in the African context, the unearthing of names that are all too often forgotten, the invisibility of female icons in our historical narratives, and the nature and role of the diaspora in our cultural, political and economic production

UN Resident Coordinator Siddharth Chatterjee has one of those CVs that will blow you away. Sneak a peek at his Twitter bio and you will see what we are talking about. Ex Indian Special Forces. Ex Red Cross. Princeton alumnus. And a presiding don of the opinion pages at Huffington Post and Reuters. We’re sure you see what we are talking about. He’s a man worth paying attention to. We’re glad he recently spared a few minutes to sit down for an interview with Dr Diana Wangari who brings us the scoop.

Good career advice is hard to come by. Fortunately for all of us, Dr Jacqueline M. Applegate, the subject of a new interview on This Is Africa has it in spades. “In order to excel in your career, my advice is to be 100% committed to figuring out how to make your dreams a reality. Take the cards you’ve been dealt, play your hand well, and enjoy the journey!”

The Arterial Network recently launched an ambitious programme that aims to create social change through cultural action and cultural policy in four African cities. Sophia Olivia Sanan spoke to five of the organisation’s members to find out more.

The African continent is going through a political renaissance unlike any we have seen in some time. Zimbabwe recently had a coup, which was not really a coup. Kenya has two emergent leaders claiming power, South Africa's Jacob Zuma has fallen and now Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has resigned.

Zimbabwe has lost a hero with the passing of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai (65), a colossal, brave and charismatic leader who tirelessly fought for democracy. Save, as Tsvangirai was affectionately known was undoubtedly the most effective opposition leader in Zimbabwe since independence. Tsvangirai dedicated his life to fighting autocracy. We share with you 10 of his profound quotes.

Jacob Zuma has finally announced his resignation as the State President of South Africa, after weeks of negotiations and boisterous calls for his stepping down. Reactions so far show the country is not at all sad to see him leave.

South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC) has welcomed President Jacob Zuma's resignation as President of the country. The ANC saluted President Zuma’s “outstanding contribution” in the last nine years he served as President and his role in the party spanning over sixty years. Here is the full statement of the ANC following President Zuma’s resignation.

The National Portrait Gallery unveiled the official presidential likenesses of former US president Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama in a ceremony that was markedly different from those that went before

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma yesterday resigned as President of the country. "I have come to the decision to resign with immediate effect,” he said addressing the media following his recall by the African National Congress (ANC)’s NEC. Here is the full statement of President Zuma's letter of resignation.

About the AuthorEttobe David Meres

Several conflicts have rocked various African countries over the years, leading to the death, injury and displacement of millions. There are current cases of political instability across the continent, with violence and unrest raging on in South Sudan, Burundi, and Somalia amongst other insecure countries. Against the backdrop of the unrest in these countries, we revisit seven civil wars in Africa, which we must never forget.

Today we celebrate International Women’s Day. If one looks at the obstacles stacked against them, at the trials women face daily, just being a woman is boldness. By the fact of existence alone, the contributions and strides women have made to humanity are inestimable. We take a bow. So here is a list some of the bold things women have done in the past one year or so.

The kissing and groping of two housemates in Nigeria’s reality TV show, Big Brother Naija, while they were asleep, have led to discussions on sexual consent, rape and victim blaming on social media. Can the organisers of the Big Brother Naija reality show do more than evict Kemen from the house?

Kenyan doctors have been on strike since December last year. The country’s Ministry of Health and the striking doctors remain at loggerheads, the two proverbial elephants fighting; the patients are the grass that suffers. There seems to be no respite in sight, and for patients and their families, a resolution cannot come sooner.

To mark the 69th anniversary of the Christiansborg shooting, President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana laid a wreath in honour of Sergeant Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe and Private Odartey Lamptey, at the Nationalism Park, Accra, Ghana. The shooting sparked the 1948 Accra riots, and led to the arrest of the Big Six, leaders of Ghana’s fight for independence including, Kwame Nkrumah, and Edward Akufo-Addo, the father of current president.

President Muhammadu Buhari has been in the United Kingdom since January on a medical vacation. Buhari’s continued stay has set tongues wagging, with unending speculations over his health, humours of Baba Go Slow’s death have been doing the rounds. Buhari’s indefinite stay in the UK is worrying many Nigerians, who wish their leader a speedy recovery so that he resumes his presidential duties.

U.S. President Donald Trump has been in the Oval office for a little over a month, and the early days have been quite eventful. The continent remains on tenterhooks, as it remains unclear what trajectory the Trump administration will take on Africa. While it has been argued that the Trump presidency is a golden moment for Africa to chart its own development path, it appears Trump is likely to adopt policies that deal with individual countries in the continent, unlike his predecessors who crafted policies which saw Africa as group.

Sharon-Rose Khumalo, the Rose of Mamelodi: she’s a beauty queen, smart, beautiful, and identifies as intersex. Don’t go making her into something strange. The beauty queen is using her platform and status to raise awareness and highlight a condition generally not talked about.

The Bisi Alimi Foundation (BAF) conducted a survey to explore and collect information about current life experiences of LGBT [Lesbians Gay Bisexuals Transgender] Nigerians. The report titled Not Dancing to their Music details the discrimination, harassment and abuse experienced by respondents and makes recommendations of changes needed in the country to ensure security, justice and equality for all.